Blog to Biz Hive - The Course that Brought Forth and Create to Life

Hey everyone! So this is a little off topic compared to my usual posts, yet it's something that has helped my business immensely so I felt like I had to share it with you. Please keep in mind that this is an affiliate post, however it has changed my business so much that I had to share it with you because I'm seriously confident it will change yours too.

I started Forth and Create back in January with no real direction or idea where it would take me. I went into it knowing I wanted to help others learn design and that was about it.

Talk about being unsure!

Not only was I unsure but I was stressed, scared of failure, and had a lot of self-doubt. Monetizing my blog would mean I would need a newsletter, I would have to come up with stuff to send my mailing list, I would have to eventually get used to being on camera, and commit to blogging regularly. Oh..em..gee, now can you see why I was stressed?!

I've followed Melyssa since she created, The Nectar Collective and watched her blog bloom into something huge. Because she posted so regularly, I loved what she put out there, I saw her success, I followed her on social media, she felt like a friend I had known forever, and because of this I had no problem signing up for her course, Blog to Biz Hive (formally The Blog Hive).

Shelling out that kind of cash when you aren't making any money on your blog is a huuuuge deal.

You have to be sure that this is something you want, you have to believe in yourself, you can't compare yourself to other successful bloggers, and you just have to trust your gut.

You know the old saying, you have to spend money to make money? Well they aren't lying. I looked at signing up for Melyssa's course as an investment for my business and I'm sooo happy I did because it changed everything for me.

Check out below to find out more about the course and how it has helped me.

As I mentioned above I started Forth and Create in January and that's when Melyssa's course began so I was literally going into it with no blog audience, newsletter subscribers, or social following. Eep!

The best part of this course is you can be a total beginner like myself, or someone who has been blogging forever.

Finding your niche and sticking to it

One of the most important takeaways from the Blog to Biz Hive was the only way you are going to gain a following and grow your audience is if you have your niche nailed down and you stick to it. This means that if you are teaching people how to design you can't just throw in random posts about your recent vacation, a new trick your dog learned, or what you ate for dinner last night.

You seriously need to stick to your niche.

When it comes down to it you only want an audience and followers that are into your niche so they know what to expect from you and they will keep coming back.

If you are like me and like writing about anything/everything a good idea is to set up another blog. I have my Forth and Wild blog where I write about my travels, what inspires me, my daily life, etc. This keeps my personal life separate from my business.

blogging doesn't have to be a daily commitment

I think the biggest misconception about blogging is that you have to hit publish every day of the week. If you are blogging 3-4 times a week that is awesome but you really don't have to. The Blog to Biz Hive has taught me that writing one meaty post that is 1000 - 3000 words, once a week is all you really need. If you offering such valuable info once a week people will wait in anticipation for your next awesome post.

How it has helped me

Thanks to Blog to Biz Hive I have a blog plan in place. I spend a few days creating my weekly blog post, recording any audio and video that I need, and the rest of the week I spend promoting my post on different social channels. My blog posts are always 1000+ words, I include a content upgrade in every post, and I try to include as much value as possible.

seo is everything

Melyssa's SEO tips and advice made me go, "say whaaaat?!" She covers so much good stuff in this module and explains Google Analytics, Google Keywords, Pinterest, and more in such detail. Speaking of Pinterest, after following Melyssa's tips and setting up a Boardbooster account my following on Pinterest grows daily and 90% of my overall blog traffic comes from Pinterest. Wahoo!

How it has helped me

With Melyssa's SEO advice I've come to realize that blog growth does in fact take time. Just because you aren't seeing immediate growth doesn't mean you've failed as a blogger. Good things take time and since January I've seen a lot of referrals from different search engines which means my posts are slowly showing up in people's searches.

Rock your newsletter

This module is literally everything, she packs so much good stuff into one module, it's insane. Everything from why your newsletter is so important, how to create awesome opt-in forms, and how to create a powerful weekly newsletter, and that is just a small sample. This module is so big and filled with valuable information that I reference it all the time.

How it has helped me

The one thing that I really struggle with when it comes to blogging is what to send to my newsletter peeps. It can be so intimidating, and the fear of having people unsubscribe is heartbreaking but with Melyssa's tips I no longer fear sending out my newsletters and I know what to send my readers without doubting myself.

I created my first free mini course and have received so many sign ups from it including a ton of referrals from Pinterest.

It's almost too easy to grow your email list.

Humanizing your brand is so important

I recently wrote a whole post on this topic because I truly believe adding personality to your blog is essential to growing your community and brand.

Melyssa offers amazing tips and examples of how to grow your community in different ways. She even let's you in on how she hosts her Twitter chat and how she manages her Facebook group.

How it has helped me

I have now started to add audio versions of my posts and when necessary I add video tutorials to better explain my process. I will admit, jumping on Periscope is a wee bit intimidating for me at the moment but I have joined Snapchat and show behind the scenes every once in awhile.

Creating your course

The last few modules in the course are alllll about planning, creating, selling, and promoting your course. Although I'm not in a huge rush to create my course just yet I have gone through all the videos and any fears I had are now gone. Melyssa is the queen of selling courses and if you find her free stuff amazing then you are in for a serious treat.

Everything you could possibly need in order to create a course is taught in the Blog to Biz Hive.

How it has helped me

As I mentioned above I'm not in a huge rush to create my course however that hasn't stopped me from planning it. I've planned out my topic, the blog posts leading up to the launch, a free Instagram mini course, and possible webinar topics.

Blog to Biz Hive makes creating a course seriously fun and not stressful at all.

Dropping a chunk of cash into your business can be intimidating but if you are serious about creating courses, monetizing your blog, and growing your audience then this is the course for you.

MY FAVOURITE BONUS OF THEM ALL

All of the bonuses included are seriously amazing but my favourite is the group coaching calls. You hop on a video call with Melyssa and she answers all of your burning questions. Having this intimate time with her you are guaranteed to receive some amazing feedback and support.

If you have any questions about Blog to Biz Hive feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have! :)

Please note that this is just a small taste of the course. You can expect to find so much value including, workbooks, video lessons, a Facebook mastermind group, amazing bonuses, and a lot more.

The course closes soon, don't miss your chance to take one of the best blog courses out there.

The Blog to Biz Hive computer image and my testimonial image is credited to Melyssa of melyssagriffin.com.